So you want your child to feel more self-assured. Unfortunately for our quick fix-it minds and weary hearts, higher-order self-confidence comes from intrinsic motivators. What does that mean? Think of the quote:
Praising our children is a beautiful, but temporary fix to what could be much larger, deeper issues in doubt, fitting in or identity.
In the blog post How to Boost Your Child’s Confidence, you can find a variety of engaging activity ideas on how to do this, but today we’ll be going through our current top 10 favorite children’s book read alouds on the topic of confidence.
Incorporating picture books intentionally and consistently throughout our programs are helpful tools to model positive self-talk and resilience.
The books I’ve chosen cover some of the following topics:
∙ Staying true ourselves in the face of peer pressure
∙ Being honest and responsible for our actions
∙ Being resilient and overcoming mistakes
∙ Embracing our diversity with pride
-
Zero feels entirely hollow inside as she sees how much fun all the other numbers have counting. She tries desperately to fit in, until she looks at herself from a new perspective: "I'm not empty inside, I'm open!" and sees her value for what it truly is.
-
![Lily May and the Ruby Shoes Blues by [Danielle Diestl, Fani Bela]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41YoYhm4xnL.jpg)
Lily May storms home and melts into bed after being teased for wearing high heels to school. It takes a book about an absurd world where everything is the same to remind her that our differences are what paint the world a much more beautiful place. The whimsical illustrations and scrumptious rhyme make it such an engaging read aloud for any age.
Bonus: At the back of this book, there are beautiful mindful breathing activities to help the reader feel empowered and regulated.
You can watch the book trailer here.
-
A stunning, poetic book about identity and the power of unbreakable sibling bonds. Faizah could not be more excited for her sister Asiya's very first day of school. She admires her beauty in her bright blue hijab. When other children show confusion or ignorance towards her beautiful hijab, Asiya recalls her mother and sisters' words in order to face the day with pride and strength.
-
This book is a celebration of individuality with powerful, poignant one-liners that serve as a road map to showing up unapologetically.
"Be adventurous! Live a big life!
When you are ready, step outside your comfort zone.
Bravely explore new paths and see where they lead you."
-
Another colorful anthem by Todd Parr to encourage us take pride our eccentricities:
"It's okay to talk about your feelings.
Tell me in the comments below:
